A Gild Copper Statue of Maitreya
清銅鎏金彌勒佛
Ht.23.5cm Wd.16cm
Maitreya is a transliteration of Sanskrit in India, and the free translation of "Michishi". It was named because he had received instructions from the Buddha in his past lives and cultivated his heart to become "Medical Samadhi". The face is full and upright, his eyes are slender like willow leaves, and his eyes are drooping and he seems to be meditating. The shoulders are wide, the waist is closed, the upper body is bare, and the lower body is wearing a long skirt with a spread outskirt, which is very textured. Both shoulders are covered with a silk shawl, which hangs from the shoulders to the inside of the arms. Maitreya Bodhisattva sits on a Xumi seat in a sitting posture with lotus flowers engraved on it. There is a pagoda on his shoulders, which is an important symbol of Maitreya's identity. The overall shape is perfect, the surface is gilded, the craftsmanship is fine, the jewelry is inlaid, and the color is radiant. It has the distinctive characteristics of the Qing court art, reflecting the true appearance of political prosperity, economic prosperity, and cultural development at that time.
彌勒是印度梵語的音譯，意譯「慈氏」，因其過去世曾得到佛的開示，發心修道成「慈心三昧」而得名。此尊面形飽滿端正，雙目細長似柳葉，眼斂低垂，似在冥想。肩部寬闊，腰部收束，上身袒露，下身著長裙，裙擺鋪展開來，極富質感。肩披帔帛，帔帛從肩部垂於手臂內側，以善跏趺坐姿安住於須彌座上，其上鏨刻蓮花圖案，肩花上置有寶塔，為彌勒菩薩身份重要標識。整體造型完美，表面鎏金，工藝精細，珠寶鑲嵌，流光溢彩，具有清宮廷藝術鮮明特點，體現當時政治強盛、經濟繁榮、文化發達的真實面貌。